Signal-lantern.



A. H. HANDLAN, JR. SIGNAL LANTERN.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5, 1909.

962,758. Patented June 28,1910.

"DREW B AHAM cm PHOTO-LITKCGRAPMERS, WASNINGYON. n. c.

we/zZZ/e A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER H. HANDLAN, JR., OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SIGNAL-LANTERN.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 113 28, 1910,

Application filed November 5, 1909.

Serial No. 526,410.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER H. HAND- LAN, Jr., a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signal- Lanterns, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to that type of signal lanterns in which electricity is utilized as an illuminating agent.

Inasmuch as electrical lighting apparatuses are liable to impairment from time to time, it is necessary to provide for use in signal lanterns intended to be illummated mainly by electricity of another illuminating agent that may be readily and quickly 1nstalled in the lamps upon impairment of the electrical apparatus, in order that there shall be no continued failure of service of the lanterns that might result in obvious serious consequences. It is customary, in View of the foregoing facts, to provide, for use in lanterns of the type mentioned, oil fonts and burners that may be utilized in the interim between the failure of illumination power of the electrical apparatus and the resumption of the use of such apparatus.

The object of my invention is to provide a construction whereby the electrical conductor leading to an electric lamp may be set into the shell of the lantern adjacent to the lantern doorway through an opening leading from said doorway, and in order that the conductor may be readily put in place when the electric lamp is installed or removed. Further, to provide means for confining the electrical conductor in place while the electrical lamp is present in the lantern; and, further, to so construct the lantern as to provide for the wick raising rod of an oil lamp being extended through the opening that ordinarlly receives the electrical conductor and which is guarded by the conductor confining means in such manner as to prevent the passage of air currents into the lantern around the wick raising rod, to the.

detriment of the oil flame burning in the Y lantern.

Fig. I. Fig. III is a fragmentary view of the doorway frame and adjacent parts of my lantern at the location therein of the opening for the introduction of an electrical conductor or the wick raising rod of an oil lamp. Fig. IV is a perspective view of the slide that closes the opening through which the conductor and the wick raising rod pass. Fig. V is a perspective view of the insulator through which the electrical conductor passes. Fig. VI is a view similar to Fig. II with an oil lamp installed in the lantern in place of an electric lamp. Fig. VII is a vertical section taken on line VIIVII, Fig. VI, with the parts of the lantern immediately back of said line shown in elevation.

In the accompanying drawings: 1 designates the shell of my lantern which is provided with a doorway, at the sides of which are preferably outwardly and laterally eX- tending flanges 2, that serve as guide members for a vertically movable door 3.

4 designates a slot extending laterally in the shell of the lantern from one side of the doorway therein. This slot furnishes a passageway for the electrical conductor of an electric lamp such as that indicated at A, and which is connected to an electric lamp such as that indicated at B, that is housed in the lantern shell.

5 is an insulator sleeve through which the electrical conductor A passes, and which is seated in the slot 4, the sleeve being provided with a circumferential groove 6. The grooved portion of the insulator sleeve is of approximately the same diameter as the width of the slot 4, while the outer ends of the sleeve serve to provide flanges whereby the sleeve is prevented from longitudinal movement after it is seated in the slot 4.

7 designates a slide seated against the shell of the lantern and which is movably held to said shell by a pin or button 8 that extends through a vertical slot 9 in the slide. The slide is provided at its lower end and side nearest the doorway in the lantern shell with a leg 10 that is adapted to span the slot sulator sleeve is firmly held in the position at the rear end of the slot 4 in the lantern shell. The slide may readily be elevated when it is desired to withdraw the electrical conductor A and the electric lamp B from the lantern, for which purpose it is only necessary, after the slide has been elevated to withdraw the leg of the slide from a position spanning the slot l, to move the insulator sleeve with the conductor therein through the slot 4 to the doorway in the lantern shell. For convenience in the operation of the slide 7, it is provided with a finger knob 11.

12 is an outwardly jutting vertical flange at the forward edge of the slide which extends forwardly back of the flange of the doorway frame 2 to serve in part as a guide for the slide 7, and in part as a means for closing the space back of the doorway frame flange at the location of the slot 4 extending therethrough.

In the event of the electrical lamp ordinarily used in my lantern becoming unserviceable for any reason, such for instance, as impairment of the lamp or discontinuance of flow of electrical current thereto, the electric lamp is removed from the lantern, as permitted by the elevation of the slide 7, and the withdrawal of the electrical conductor and its surrounding insulator sleeve 5 through the slot 4 in the lantern shell normally closed by said slide. An oil lamp such as seen at C in Fig. VI is then temporarily set in place within the lantern shell to be housed thereby and the wick raising rod D of this oil lamp is moved through the slot 4 until it is in the position normally occupied by the electrical conductor when the electric lamp is in service. The slide 7 which was elevated to permit the movement of the wick raising rod to the position referred to is then lowered to the wick raising rod so that said slide will effectually close the portion of the slot at aside from the doorway in the lantern shell, in order that air currents may not pass through said slot to the interior of the lantern, and to render the closure of the slot complete, I provide in the slide at its lower end a notch 7 that receives the wick raising rod when the slide is lowered, as seen in Fig. VII.

I claim:

1. In a lantern, a shell having a doorway and provided with a slot extending laterally from the doorway adapted to receive a burner wick raising rod or an electrical conductor leading to an electric lamp housed by the shell, and a slide supported by said shell to confine the burner wick raising rod or electrical conductor in said slot.

2. In a lantern, a shell having a doorway and provided with a slot extending laterally from the doorway adapted to receive a burner wick raising rod or an electric conductor leading to the electric lamp housed by the shell, and a slide supported by said shell and having a member adapted to span said slot to confine the burner wick raising rod or electrical conductor therein.

3. In a lantern, a shell having a doorway and provided with a slot extending laterally from the doorway adapted to receive a burner wick raising rod or an electrical conductor leading to an electric lamp housed by the shell, and a slide supported by said shell and having a leg at its lower end adapted to span said slot between the burner wick raising rod or electrical conductor and the open end of the slot whereby the electrical conductor is confined in said slot.

at. In a lantern, a shell having a doorway and provided with a slot extending laterally from the doorway adapted to receive a burner wick raising rod or an electrical conductor leading to an electric lamp housed by the shell, and a slide having slot and pin connection with said shell and having a member adapted to span said slot between the burner wick raising rod or electrical conductor and the open end of the slot whereby the electrical conductor is confined in said slot.

5. I11 a lantern, a shell having a doorway and provided with a slot extending laterally from the doorway, an insulator sleeve seated in said slot adapted to surround an electrical conductor leading to an electric lamp housed by the shell, and a slide supported by said shell and adapted to span said slot between its open end and said insulator sleeve.

6. In a lantern, a shell having a doorway and provided with a slot extending laterally from the doorway through which either an electrical conductor leading to an electric lamp or the wick raising rod of an oil lamp may be passed from said doorway, and a slide supported by said shell and adapted to span said slot between either the electrical conductor or the wick raising rod when present in the slot, the said slide being provided with a notch adapted to receive the wick raising rod when it is present in said slot.

7 In a lantern, a shell having a doorway therein and provided with a slot leading from said doorway, said slot being adapted to receive a burner wick raising rod or an electrical conductor, leading to an electric lamp housed by the shell, a door for closing said doorway, and movable means other than said door for confining the burner wick raising rod or electrical conductor in said slot.

8. In a lantern, a shell having a doorway therein and provided with a slot leading from said doorway, the said shell having a door receiving flange into which the slot extends, and a movable member by which a burner wick raising rod or an electrical conductor may be confined in said slot, the said movable member being provided With a l conductor may be confined in said slot, the 10 flange for closing the portion of said slot in. said slide being provided With a flange for said door receiving flange. closing the portion of said slot in said door 9. In a lantern, a shellhaving a doorvvay receiving flange. thereln and provlded With a slot leadlng ALEXANDER H. HANDLAN JR.

from said doorway, the said shell having a door receiving flange into Which said slot In the presence of extends, a slide fitted to said shell by which E. B. LINN,

a burner Wick raising rod or an electrical A. J. MOCAULEY. 

